


Not My Time

by ConeyIslandBlitz



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: How do I live without you?, M/M, clary and izzy adopted each other as sisters, complete work, death and the afterlife, two souls reunite, you'll probably cry because I cried writing it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 08:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12406866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConeyIslandBlitz/pseuds/ConeyIslandBlitz
Summary: 'I've done bad things, Alexander-'"Yes but so have I. The good outweighs the bad, though, and you do find peace here. Magnus, you've done so much good in the centuries you've been alive... I have faith that our souls WILL reunite. That we'll both have peace here. Together."'But today is not that day.'





	Not My Time

**Author's Note:**

> OKOKOKOKOKOK!! So this is technically not my first death fic, but let's call it my first death fic because- well you'll just have to see won't ya.  
> \-->The working title was I Can't Decide but the story itself deviated so far from the original concept that that title didn't fit anymore, so that title is going to another concept I have on my to-do list. The ideas came to me through the eponymous song by There For Tomorrow.  
> \--> I nearly used the entire summoning prayer for Asmodeus but the missus said not to because I could get busted for plagiarism so I only nicked the first couple lines. Sorry Cassie. I needed it.  
> \--> The idea of seeing spirits/ghosts/angels when you're close to your death day is a concept I lovingly took from the Being Human book "The Road".  
> \--> The whole "your deeds determine your afterlife" concept are purely my own beliefs. I do believe that when you die you are judged by your actions, not your nature, and that your final destination in the afterlife is determined based on whether you did more bad than good in this life and vice versa. If they're about equal then you get neither peace nor damnation.  
> \--> I made Asmodeus like totally creepy and I hope that comes across well!  
> \--> Characters aren't mine, except Magnus' client Lauren Granger.

~~~~

"Magnus..." Alec choked, coughing up blood as he lay in his boyfriend's arms.

"Don't speak, Alexander," Magnus begged, as he used as much of his magic as possible to heal the gaping wound in Alec's throat. Alec struggled to breathe, and the wound was barely closing. Jace ran up to them and trid activating Alec's iratze rune over and over and over again, to no avail. Alec was bleeding out and there was nothing either Magnus or Jace could do. Jace himself was struggling to focus; he could feel Alec go light-headed from the blood loss and he passed out.  
"Iloveyou..." Alec managed to mutter as he took his final breath. His grip on Magnus' lapel loosened, his arm going limp, and his lifeless body slumped to the ground.  
  
Once Jace had come to, he saw Magnus pull Alec's body into a desperate hug, willing him to hug back but he never did. The tears flowed out of him uncontrollably. He knew that this was always going to be a possibility with Alec being a soldier, but he always hoped that it would never come to pass. He'd just lost the love of his life. His soulmate. His best friend. The one person who, like a wrecking ball, had smashed through the wall he'd built around his heart and allowed him to feel again.  
Jace was just as broken as he was, having just lost his brother, his parabatai. At a loss for words, he hugged Magnus, Alec's body still in between them as they sobbed in their shared grief.

~~~~

It was the oddest thing. He didnt'particularly want to entertain the idea, but it seemed as if, whenever Magnus felt the urge to hurt himself, he'd see the exact same message everywhere: 'it's not your time'. Six months had passed since he lost Alec in an unexpected attack at the New York Institute, and it didn't get any easier living without him; the only thing keeping the warlock going was his seemingly insatiable clientele. He was never without requests for potions, spells, demon summonings, ward reinforcements... even transport around the world by Portal. It was truly beginning to grind his gears.  
Of course he kept in touch with the other Shadowhunters; Jace, Isabelle and Clary. Only, seeing their faces did nothing more than rub salt in a never-healing wound. Magnus ought to have sought solace in them, but he just... But they were grieving just as he was, and they were having to suffer the same daily reminders of Alec's absence, and it hasn't exactly been easy on them either, but he should have felt some relief that he's not alone in this, that they're in the same boat. Instead, their presence just added fuel to his fire of sheer despair. Nonetheless, he was never unkind to them.

One evening, after a particularly long day of Portalling, summoning, and potion-brewing, Magnus allowed himself to collapse into his favourite arm chair with his finest bottle of scotch. He severely felt the need to relax, so he poured glass after glass after glass of that good stuff as he pondered over, well, everything; is there an afterlife? He knew that at least Edom existed, which was a dimension of Hell, but what about Heaven? Did that exist too? Would Alexander be there? If he were to die, would their souls reunite or would his demon blood have him condemned to the pits of Hell for eternity?  
  
It was almost as if someone could hear the words and see the images flickering through his mind - either that or he was already wasted on that hella good scotch - because he suddenly saw a bright golden light before him, growing ever bigger and brighter, and then he thought he saw a pair of wings forming. Like, actual angel wings. Magnus had to shield his eyes so he wouldn't go blind from it all.  
Eventually, the light had died down and Magnus was left with the most unbelievable sight.  
  
Alec.  
  
As an angel.  
  
A crying angel.  
  
Magnus was speechless. He took another look at his whiskey glass, closed his eyes, counted to ten, and having turned his head back to face Alec, he opened his eyes to see that Alec had moved closer to him and knelt down before him. It made him jump and he dropped his glamour.  
"This can't be real!" He exclaimed. The tearful angel Alexander gave a bittersweet smile and placed a hand on Magnus' cheek. How was he able to feel that?  
"Yes it is, Magnus. I'm really here. I love those eyes," Alec said with an echo in his voice. The compliment about the cat eyes made Magnus tear up because, Gods... his heart hurt. So fricken much. He was without words, he only made to lean into Alec's hand, holding it with his own, eyes closed and trying his damnedest not to cry.  
_I miss you so much, Alexander._  
"I miss you too, Magnus. I haven't left your side since I died, and... seeing you like this... it's heartbreaking. I wish you and I could reunite right now... but it's not your time," Alec explained, always looking Magnus in the eye.  
"'Not... my... time...' Those messages. That- that's you?" Magnus stuttered in disbelief.  
"Yes, Magnus. That was me. It's always been me. Every single time you've risked your life, every single reckless act. I've been watching over you day and night and it's been torture, seeing you in such a bad way and not being able to just hold you in my arms and tell you that it'll all get better," Alec's voice broke. Magnus couldn't speak, as though his own voice were taken from him.  
_So... you're... you're an angel now? What if our souls never reunite and I'm damned to Hell?_  
  
Alec found his voice again.  
"That won't happen. When we die, we're judged by our actions-"  
_Well I'm screwed-_  
"No, Magnus. You're not. Our blood doesn't determine that. Our deeds do. You'll only go to Hell if you've done more bad than good-"  
_I've done bad things, Alexander-_  
"Yes but so have I. The good outweighs the bad, though, and you do find peace here. Magnus, you've done so much good in the centuries you've been alive... I have faith that our souls WILL reunite. That we'll both have peace here. Together."  
_But today is not that day._

Magnus heard Alec's voice say those words in his head as he thought them himself, and they shattered his heart into a million pieces.  
"I... love you... Alexander," Magnus said in between sobs.  
"I love you too." With that, Alec disappeared from view, but Magnus saw a message being written in the air.  
  
_**I'm Always Here.**_

Magnus chuckled softly, tears still filling his eyes.  
That's the solace he needed.  
  
~~~~

A further three weeks passed, and Magnus was beginning to get used to his domestic guardian angel sending him sweet 'good morning' messages, and it truly brightened his day. Alec was careful not to appear or send any messages while Magnus had guests; they'd most likely freak out. Alec would now and again appear only for Magnus so he could poke fun at a client from time to time, which always cheered him up.  
Over time though, it had come to Magnus' attention that Alec was appearing more often and for longer periods of time. He figured that this could be an omen, but he enjoyed Alec's presence far too much to worry about it. All the better for Alec, who right now didn't have the heart to tell Magnus that indeed, this was an omen that he was gonna die, and soon.  
  
There was a knock on the door. Yet another client.  
"Are you Magnus Bane?"  
"In the flesh. Who's asking?"  
"Oh, I'm Lauren. Lauren Granger," the stranger said nervously as she offered him a hand to shake.  
"Come on in, Miss Granger," Magnus said, inviting her in.

Now was Alec's time to warn Magnus that this girl would be the one to play an important role in his death, but he feared Magnus wouldn't believe him. Not that that mattered, Magnus had already figured out that Alec's continued and extensive presence meant his time was coming. As he was setting up for his client - who had wished to summon a Greater Demon - he cast a quick glance at Alec.  _Is this how I die_ _?_  
  
Alec nodded back.  _Yes. Now it's your time._  
  
Magnus took a deep breath as he turned to his client.  
"And, Miss Granger, who is it you wish to summon?"  
The girl hesitated for a moment.  
"I wish to summon... Asmodeus," she announced shyly. This gave Magnus an inkling of how precisely he would come to meet his maker, after four hundred plus years of life.  
"Very well," he said in agreement, and so he began summoning Asmodeus, Prince of Hell... his father. "My father, who art in Hell, unhallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in Edom as it is in Hell..."  
The girl, Lauren, recognised these words as a bastardised take on the Lord's Prayer and- wait,  _his_ father? Shit... she had no idea.  
Magnus was done with the summoning ritual and almost immediately, a figure had begun to form. A somewhat tall, skinny-looking human figure, dressed in a fine bordeaux red tuxedo and a black shirt for the perfect contrast against his snow-white skin.  
"Magnus, my boy... It's been a while..." Asmodeus said with a devilish grin.  
"As I am fully aware. My client wishes to ask a favour of you," Magnus said, cutting right to the chase.  
"A favour? Well, well... What is it that you desire, little girl?" Asmodeus asked, almost seductively.  
"I want..."  
"Yes...?"  
"I want what he has!" Lauren said quickly, pointing to Magnus.  
"And what is that precisely, little girl?"  
"Th-the magic... and, um... th-the immortality," Lauren stuttered, terrified of this Greater Demon. Magnus looked at her and should have felt betrayed, but since Alec had already forewarned him of this, he nodded in agreement.  
"So... son... who's Alexander?" Asmodeus teased, having read his son's mind.  
"That's none of your concern, father. Give the girl what she wants," Magnus bit back with a hint of venom in his voice.  
"Oh but I can't _just_ do that... Not without taking it from _you_ first," Asmodeus replied. Lauren looked horrified. She clearly hadn't thought this through.  
"Then what are you waiting for? Take my immortality and my magic and give them to her. Make her the new High Warlock of Brooklyn! It's what she wants," Magnus almost shouted, getting exasperated by his father's stalling.  
"Very well," Asmodeus said, and he reached his hand into Magnus' chest. Magnus gasped, as though his heart were being ripped out. Asmodeus pulled his hand back, a glowing red essence in his grip. Magnus collapsed onto the floor as he felt the countless years catch up with him. As he struggled to breathe, and his bones grew more and more brittle by the second, he saw his father push the glowing red essence into the girl's chest, and nothing more as his sight began to fade. Finally he'd drawn his final breath, and as he exhaled, he felt his own spirit rise up from his still-aging corpse.  
"Thank you, Asmodeus," Lauren said, a new confidence within her.  
"You can call me Daddy, sweetheart," Asmodeus replied with a wink, and vanished.  
Lauren looked around her, saw the pile of bones that used to be Magnus Bane, and made to leave the penthouse. What became of her after that, Magnus would never know.

After having watched Lauren leave, he took a good look at himself and saw that he had a white glow about him, and- Woah. Angel wings! Actual angel wings! He looked at Alec and went straight in for a hug. An ecstatic hug. He just couldn't believe it.  
"I'm- Alexander! I'm an angel! Just like you! How?"  
"Well, you committed the ultimate selfless act; you gave your entire life to that girl. Literally," he said as he peered over Magnus' shoulder. Magnus peered too and gave a chuckle.  
"Oh, that was painful."  
"Almost as painful as getting your throat torn open by a Forsaken?" Alec retorted in mock-one-upmanship. Magnus gave a friendly slap on Alec's arm as he laughed. He then sighed.  
"So... now what?" Magnus asked.  
"Well... I believe that this is the part where you take my hand, and you come with me to the afterlife, where we live happily ever after," Alec said, taking Magnus' hand into his own, moving in to kiss him. Gods, how they've both missed this. Just being close to each other.  
"I quite like the sound of that," Magnus said in approval.

They then saw that same bright golden light from the other week and they walked toward it, hand in hand. 

Alec, Magnus, and this Heavenly Portal, all disappeared.

 

There was a knock on the door.  
"Magnus?"  
No answer. Knocking turned into panicked thumping.  
"Magnus, are you there?"  
Still no answer.  
"We're coming in!"  
  
The door got kicked open and in stormed a worried Jace, Clary and Izzy. Clary went straight to the kitchen and Izzy to the bedroom while Jace made his way to the lounge. Jace was the first to see what had happened to Magnus as he discovered the bones. He dropped to his knees. He was speechless. Clary declared the kitchen clear and made her way to Jace.  
"Jace, what is i- oh..." Clary gasped as she saw the bones. She slowly crouched down to Jace's level to give him a hug.  
Finally Isabelle walked back to the lounge from the bedroom.  
"Guys the bedroom's- clear..." Isabelle let out a sharp sigh as though she'd been stabbed in the heart. She too knelt down by the bones. "Hail and farewell, Magnus Lightwood-Bane," she said although Magnus and Alec never actually got married.  
"Ave atque vale, Magnus Lightwood-Bane," Jace and Clary said after Isabelle in unison.  
"Do you think they're together again?" Isabelle asked after a moment of silence, tears forming in her eyes.  
"Iz... I know they're together again," Clary answered, holding her sister's hand.

The three of them held an impromptu funeral for their beloved warlock, right there on the spot, sharing all the good memories they have of Magnus, and Alec, and the two of them together.

~FIN~

**Author's Note:**

> So.....??? How about that, huh? 
> 
> Hit me up on Twitter @ElderHoTan for feedback and shizz.


End file.
